Miami Hurricanes
Overall Rank: #35
Conference Rank: #8 ACC
Miami’s amazing streak of 44 straight NCAA Tournament appearances came to an end in 2017. Another streak of missed tournaments began in 2018 as the Hurricanes missed out yet again. Coach Gino DiMare takes over the program and brings fresh new hope of returning the Hurricanes to their former glory that has lasted decades. DiMare has been an assistant with Miami for 19 years, and a player before that, so he knows how difficult the past two seasons have been and how to get back to their winning ways.
2018: 28-26, 16-13
2018 Postseason: None
Coach: Gino DiMare
Key Departed Players:
Danny Reyes, OF, .321 BA, 5 HR, 19 RBI
Romy Gonzalez, IF/OF, .273 BA, 4 HR, 30 RBI, 22 SB
Jeb Bargfeldt, P, 3.38 ERA, 4-5 W/L, 101.1 IP, 76 SO
Andrew Cabezas, P, 3.96 ERA, 6-4 W/L, 75.0 IP, 79 SO
Key Returning Players:
Freddy Zamora, IF, .303 BA, 28 RBI, 20 SB
Isaac Quinones, C, .291 BA, 24 RBI
Willy Escala, IF, .280 BA, 11 RBI
Evan McKendry, P, 3.52 ERA, 7-6 W/L, 87.0 IP, 114 SO
Projection:
The pitching staff is in good shape if they can stay healthy. Greg Veliz and Chris McMahon were both limited by injuries last year, but performed well when they had the opportunity. Evan McKendry remained healthy all season and had a superb campaign, earning All-ACC third-team accolades. On the year he went 7-6 with a 3.52 ERA and allowed a mere two homeruns in 87.0 innings of work. Daniel Federman also had a very productive 2018 season, posting a 2.25 ERA in 60.0 innings. The sophomore has already proven that he has talent, but now he could emerge as an all-conference caliber player. There are more questions at the plate. Outside of Freddy Zamora, who hit .303 last season, Coach DiMare will have a lot of competition among inexperienced players for playing time. As always with the Hurricanes, there are some very talented options, but it remains to be seen if enough of those talented options will step up and be ready to contribute right away.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
